The demotions put Chicago’s roster at 24 players and one more cut to make. Expect a defenseman, either Ryan Stanton or Mike Kostka, to be the last to go. Chicago opens the season on Tuesday night at home against Washington at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

At 6’3″ 207 pounds, he’s been a physical player and a smart one through camp for Buffalo. It also marks the second year in a row the team’s top pick has made the team out of camp (Mikhail Grigorenko did last year).

The bad news centers around 16th overall pick Nikita Zadorov. He injured his finger blocking a shot on Friday night and will miss two weeks of action as Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News shares. Coach Ron Rolston says his finger was “smashed” at the tip. Gross.

Rolston says his injury status won’t dictate if he makes the team. More from Hoppe:

“Will we keep him?” Rolston asked. “We’ll have to discuss that. It’s two weeks. We could have him here and he could be working out and be on the ice because it’s not anything lower body.”

Buffalo is poised to be one of the youngest teams in the league. Keeping a pair of first-round picks from this year’s draft and last year’s (Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons) would make them a very green team.

Laich is key to the Capitals’ success and whether he’s playing center or on Mikhail Grabovski’s left wing, he provides a strong defensive presence as well as some goal scoring abilities. They’ve gone without Laich before in the past, but that’s not an optimal situation for them.

“Mostly, we want him playing. And if he’s not going to play regular (in the NHL), I want him playing. I don’t really have a timetable on it because we do have the luxury …to stagger their games and delay it for as long as you really want. So, it’s not like we are under a time crunch or anything.”

The Lightning, like any team with a player who’s junior eligible, can have Drouin play in nine games before making a decision. If he plays in more than that, they’ll burn the first year of his contract.

Drouin comes to Tampa with high expectations and a lot of talent. That said, sometimes it takes time for guys to be ready. At 18 years old, he may not be totally ready to go. Expect him to get a long look through at least his first nine games before a decision is made.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been bitten lately by the injury bug as Tomas Vokoun (blood clot) and now Kris Letang (lower body) are each out indefinitely. That could open the door for them to add some forward help, however.

Kobasew is in Pens camp on a professional tryout and they’ve liked what they’ve seen from him this far. The Pens may need help on their fourth line and his veteran skills could give them better depth up front. If Matt D’Agostini isn’t ready to start the season, he’s been slowed down by a lower body issue, Kobasew could slip into his spot.